FamilyTime Pie Crust

This standard, classic pie crust is both tender and flaky and just a little sweet. For a savory dish, omit the sugar from the recipe. If you prefer, use a cup of butter or a cup of vegetable shortening instead of a combination of the two.

Add the butter and shortening. Using a pastry blender, 2 forks, 2 kitchen knives, or cool fingertips, blend the fat with the flour. The fat will break up and the mixture will begin to resemble coarse meal. Some of the fat globules should be pea-sized, others will be smaller. When the mixture is still dry and crumbly -- before it turns pasty -- it is ready for the water.

Add the water a tablespoon at a time. Mix with a rubber spatula until moistened. Press a small amount of the dough between your fingers; if it sticks together it is ready. Do not add so much liquid that the dough comes together in a moist, compact ball on its own.

Divide the dough in half. Press each half into a flattened disk and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and for as long as 24 hours. If double-wrapped, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Rub flour on a rolling pin.

Take one disk of dough from the refrigerator. It should be pliable, not brittle. If it's brittle, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Begin rolling the dough from center outward. Use short, firm strokes and do not roll over the outside edge of the dough.

Roll the dough in opposite directions, contantly rotating it or moving the position of the rolling pin. This will permit the dough to stretch and expand into an even, round circle. Check that the dough is not sticking to the work surface. Sprinkle with more flour if necessary. Patch any tears as you work with dampened fingertips or scraps of dough.

Roll the dough into a circle that is approximately 11 or 12 inches in diameter.

Drape the dough over the rolling pin and lay it in a 9-inch pie plate. Or, fold the dough into quarters and pick it up. Position the corner in the center of the plate and unfold the dough.

Smooth the dough in the pie plate, pressing it into the corners and up the sides.

Trim the overhanging dough. Fold it back on itself or crimp it with a fork.

Chill the unbaked, unfilled pie crust for about 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. This will relax the pie dough and prevent shrinking.

Some recipes require a pre-baked, or blind baked, pie shell. Some call for the unbaked shell to be filled and then baked. Follow the particular recipe.

Roll the second disk of dough to make a second pie or to be a top crust on a pie.

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